Tech – CAD

Units Matter: Here’s how to set them

In 1996 the inaugural Tri-Nations rugby tournament was played between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. New Zealand won the trophy that year, but the story behind the massive trophy is rather interesting.

According to a 2013 article on stuff.co.nz, the trophy now lives at the Palmerston North Rugby Museum.

Taking up the most space is the ultra-heavy Tri-Nations Cup which All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick somehow lifted after winning it in South Africa in 1996.

Made of aluminium, the makers are believed to have mistakenly used inches rather than centimetres in its construction.

It took two men to lug it into the museum, with two rest stops along the way.

This story has fascinated me for over 20 years. I have scoured the internet looking for facts related to the trophy, sadly very little information other than the details above exist. It’s been really hard to track down a photo of it. The pictures in this article, were taken from screenshots of a video I saw online, which were backed up from my phone. This is from the end of a replay, of the 1996 game at Loftus Versveld, where Sean Fitzpatrick only appeared briefly with the trophy.

If you know any more about the design and manufacture of the trophy, or have any other information, please get in touch, or comment below. Maybe you can track down the footage!